This invention relates to a heating pad which is particularly but not exclusively designed for young animals, for example piglets in a farrowing crate.
Newborn piglets are very susceptible to drafts and cold and do not have sufficient control over their bodily temperature to survive without the presence of additional heating. It is of course uneconomic and undesirable for the sow to heat the whole barn to a temperature which is sufficient for the piglets and conventionally therefore separate heating is supplied to maintain the piglets at the required elevated temperatures.
Often the heating system involves the use of heat lamps which are supported just above the piglets. Heating lamps have a number of disadvantages in that they are prone to damage, have only a limited life and they require a relatively high level of power to provide the necessary heating effect.
Electrically heated pads have also been tried in the form of a flat sheet which is laid across the floor for the piglets to lie upon to obtain direct heat by contact with the pad. These pads are relatively expensive and are prone to premature failure. In addition electrical connections must be protected from the animals since an animal chewing the electrical leads could cause damage and could also become exposed to live wires. Such pads have therefore achieved only limited acceptability and are not popular. A further disadvantage is that in many cases they must be positioned in a corner in order for the electrical leads to be kept away from the animals and animals even from a young age tend to defecate in corners of the pen and hence a pad positioned in the corner often can become soiled and useless.
Other attempts to provide heating for animals have involved the attachment of hot water pies to the flooring generally underneath the flooring. This technique leads to arrangements which are difficult to clean and difficult to supply the necessary heated water. In one example, a steel plate is welded to a flooring section and water heating pipes welded to the underside of the late. This leads to a bulky, cumbersome system which is difficult to install and is limited to use with steel flooring.